Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 15, 2026

Free Radicals in Chemical Biology: from Chemical Behavior to Biomarker Development
Published on: April 15, 2013
Collision induced dissociations of non-derivatized and trimethylsilyl-derivatized estradiols: similarities in
Yassin A Jeilani1, Huayang Li, Issifu I Harruna
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Spelman College, 350 Spelman Lane, Box 1134, Atlanta, GA, 30314, USA.
Abstract:
Fragmentation mechanisms of estradiol and trimethylsilyl (TMS)-derivatized estradiol were studied by triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (MSMS) and density functional theory (DFT) at B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) level. Collision induced dissociations (CID) of estradiol give product ions that are associated with the cleavage of B, C and D rings. Characteristic fragments from the cleavage of the aromatic ring A were not identified, and this was confirmed with both labeled estradiol and trimethylsilyl (TMS)-derivatized estradiol. The mechanisms are based on charge-site directed, radical-directed and charge remote fragmentations that are consistent with previous studies of steroids. CID spectra show ion pairs at m/z: 145/146, 157/158, 185/186, 211/213 and 225/226 with significant intensities, suggesting that these pairs are not from isotopic contributions. The mechanisms show similarities with some minor differences in the fragmentation patterns between the non-derivatized and the TMS-derivatized estradiol.
Related Concept Videos
Mass Spectrometry: Cycloalkene Fragmentation
Mass Spectrometry: Molecular Fragmentation Overview
One type of fragmentation pattern is the cleavage of a single bond in the molecular ion. The cleavage leads to a radical and a cation. The cleavage can occur at...
Mass Spectrometry: Carboxylic Acid, Ester, and Amide Fragmentation
For example,...
Mass Spectrometry: Cycloalkane Fragmentation
For example, cyclohexane molecular ions have a mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) of 84, which tends to produce a stronger signal than linear alkanes like hexane. This stability comes from...
Mass Spectrometry: Branched Alkane Fragmentation
Mass Spectrometry: Alkene Fragmentation

